Bill Stearman, Quilt Maker

... I'm just a guy who likes to make quilts ... and tell stories. Every day is an adventure as I try new things. Like the rest of life it seems, what can be done in quilt making is limited only by my imagination. What an incredibly exciting journey!
This blog continues on from my farm blog ... willowgardenshetlands.blogspot.ca ...
email ... b.stearman@hotmail.com

Tuesday, 18 December 2018

Congratulations! Your entry, For the Oppression LGBTG2 Communities, We Apologize (#1048), has been selected by our panel of jurors to be displayed at QuiltCon 2019! Additionally, your quilt (unless you selected "for exhibit only") will be eligible to win prizes and awards from our many sponsors.

On November 28, 2017, Prime Minister Trudeau delivered a public apology to LGBTQ2 Canadians.

He struggled to hold back tears as he spoke that day. I wept openly.

That text is embedded in this quilt.

I can't read it without tears.

This quilt is a celebration of that speech. And a thank you.

It represents a defining moment for Canada.

And for me. After a lifetime of feeling less than, of living in fear, of feeling out of place, I finally knew that I was valued, that I was safe and that I had a respected place in my country.

On November 28, 2017, in the House of Commons, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivered an apology to LGBTQ2 Canadians.

I wept as I listened to his words that day and I wept again as I reread them repeatedly, in the making of this quilt.

This speech is a defining moment for Canada, and it is a defining moment for me. After decades of feeling less than, of living in fear, of believing that I mattered less … I knew that I was valued, accepted and OK in the eyes of my Nation.

I have described myself as a husband, a dad, a son, an orphan, straight, gay, a teacher, a school administrator, an urbanite, a shop keeper, a farmer, a shepherd, a spinner, a retiree, a widower, a volunteer, a husband again, and a quilt maker.

For me, change has been like a constantly churning cog in a wheel.

The more that I accept the changes, the faster change churns, until it becomes a whirlwind that envelops me and whirls me through doorways and into the next change.

Embracing these new changes without fear, seems to grow the grandness that is my life .

To me, this view captures the grandeur of the structure, as it reflects over and over in the waters of Sydney Harbour, and in the hearts and minds of visitors from all corners of the world.

The ‘water’ is my own hand dyed indigo fabric.The ‘sails’ are from fabric designed by Australian, Shauna Scicluna.Jorn Utzon, the designer of the Opera House said that his design was inspired by the ‘simple act of peeling an orange’, so the orange fabric colour seemed perfect.

Days before his eighth birthday my Grandson told me … “My Dad doesn't think that you act your age Grandpa.”

In an attempt to discover how old I do act we continued to chat.

We discovered that we had similarities.

We both like to get our own way; we both get grabby when we’re tired; we both like to eat ice cream; we both like Lego and making things; we both tease our sisters; we both laugh when we hear farts; and we both have no intention of kissing a girl.

On November 28, 2017, in the House of Commons, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivered an apology to LGBTQ2 Canadians.

It was an amazing speech.

I wept as I listened to his words that day and I wept again as I reread them repeatedly in the making of this quilt.

This speech is a defining moment for Canada, and a defining moment for me. After decades of feeling less than, of living in fear, of believing that I mattered less than … I knew that I was valued, accepted and OK in the eyes of my Nation.

Tuesday, 11 September 2018

Bill Stearman

In his lifetime, Bill has been … a poor student, a badly-behaved son, a teacher, a high school vice principal, a husband, a father, a grandpa, a landscaper, a farmer, a shepherd, a community living home-care provider, a hospice volunteer, a zoo volunteer, a spinner, a weaver, straight, gay, a husband again, and now he tells his stories with quilts.

His quilts have been juried into national and international shows across North America.

Bill’s energetic, optimistic, positive, and passionate approach shines through in his work, his Back Pack Shows and workshops.

Wednesday, 29 August 2018

This quilt replaces one that we wore out on our bed. We share our bed with an active Dachshund, a Basset Hound who likes to dig, and a black cat with claws to exercise. Together, the five of us have worn out one bedspread in four years. It was the second quilt that I ever made.

But, we've worn it out with the love that comes with a family bed!

When it was time for a new one, I turned to my favourite fabric in the world. It is a Tanzanian batik, made by a woman who supports her family through her work, which is fair traded and ends up with my friend Michelle, at Kallisti Quilts. Michelle has become a friend and I love to buy from her. She always makes me smile. And when I work with this fabric, I can hear the woman who made the fabric humming as she works. And I sing as well.

It's purpose is to show the power that we each have if we speak our truth, call out inappropriate behaviour, question what we don't think is right, and generally loose our fear to speak. Each of our voices will inspire another, and another, and another ... until it is a chorus, and change happens.

Quilted by Deanna Gaudaur, who added her power through quilting to the message.